Reviews RLP2184

Thomassen's and her bandmates' continued evolution as composers, players, and improvisers is thrilling to hear. It's just as evident on Evil In Oslo, recorded at two November 2015 club gigs and divided into four side-long medleys of pieces from their first three albums. The trio's fluid, organic interaction, built over nearly a decade of playing together, is on full display here. Thomassen is clearly the leader onstage, conducting the ensemble with a step forward or back, or a swing of her massive Gibson ES-335's neck, but Brekken and Bjornstad are locked in, speeding up or slowing down in telepathic synchrony. Every piece retains its core riff, but also grows into something entirely new through raucous improvisation. The first three sides, recorded in a large theatre, have a spaciousness the studio albums, mixed as they are for maximum crunch, don't always possess. The fourth, though, was recorded in a cramped bar, and the sound is a dense roar, almost recalling Hawkwind's Space Ritual in the way Brekken's bass dominates as Thomassen soars toward the ceiling, only descending to hammer home one more massive, biker metal riff. The Wire (UK)

So far I haven’t had the privilege of experiencing the Mollestad Trio in concert, which is one reason its other new release, Evil in Oslo (Rune Grammofon), serves such a vital function. Recorded at a pair of packed club gigs last year, it’s a double LP that cherry-picks highlights from the band’s first three albums. Side A features material from Shoot!—notably the enduring band anthem “Ashes,” which suggests a new spin on McLaughlin’s fiery work in the Tony Williams Lifetime. As if to solidify that ancestral link, there’s also a live-wire version of “Laughing John,” from the band’s fine 2014 release, Enfant Terrible. Still, it’s not all McLaughlin all the time here. “The Valley” has a twang evocative of Bill Frisell, especially as Mollestad gets painterly with her pedal delay. The trudging, brutal riff of “Arigato, Bitch” more readily summons Tony Iommi, of Black Sabbath.JazzTimes (US)

Evil In Oslo captures the trio playing live renditions from their previous three albums, a full on head-charge of high-octane improvisation that mixes hard rock with jazz, lights it up and throws it against the wall. 4/5.Jazzwise (UK)

A limited edition, double-vinyl live set, Evil In Oslo (Rune Grammofon), offers an impressive in-concert retrospective of the trio in no-holds-barred action. If Black Sabbath did instrumental jazz rock it'd sound a bit like this.Prog (UK)